Fishman Fluence Bass Soapbar Pickups - Detailed Build Planning

[Peelman]

Fishman recently released a bass version of their popular Fluence series as soapbar pickups for 4 and 5 strings. They are popping up in some retail builds, and the pickups themselves are available for pre-order from some places, but I haven't seen an official release date. I am totally sold on these things and am planning my first Warmoth build to use them.

Here's a review of the 5-string pickups on a Schecter SLS Elite:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzoOfz2uZDk[/youtube]

I'm planning on a 4-string build on a 32" medium scale bass. I couldn't find the dimensions listed anywhere on the Fluence pickups, but they sent me a spec sheet over email. They are super close to the EMG 35, so that route should work:

	EMG 35	Fluence 4	WM EMG 35 Route
W	3.5"/88.9mm	3.515"/89.29mm	3.58"/91mm
L	1.5"/38.1mm	1.492"/37.89mm	1.56"/40mm
H	.880"/22.3mm	.811"/20.59mm	.75"/19mm

The Fishman's seem close enough to be able to work in the EMG route to me. I only checked the 4-string specs.

The demo videos I've seen have used 4 pots and the 3-way switch for their controls, but I think I'd go with the 2-band dual concentric EQ. Warmoth will drill for 4 controls on the Short Scale G4 body, but I'm going to plan on using 3 and leave space for the toggle switch. I'm thinking volume (push/pull) - blend - voice switch - dual concentric EQ.

One thing I'd like to do is use the Fishman rechargeable battery pack, but I'm not sure there will be enough space in the control cavity. Here's a video of someone else installing one on a guitar (skip to about 1:13):

[youtube]https://youtu.be/l5pWmclavac?t=73[/youtube]

I imagine it would be pretty tight in the control cavity to try to squeeze 3 pots with wiring, a 3-way switch, the output jack and then this battery pack and charging port. The build would look a lot cleaner to me if I didn't have to have a battery box put in, but we'll see.

Anywho, I'm excited about it. I needed to do a little research to see if there was a way to make them work in a Warmoth build, but it certainly looks promising.

 

[ghotiphry]

That's something really, really cool.  Please let me know how the build goes. Have you considered a rear rout?

 

[Cagey]

I have Fishman Fluence pickups in two of my guitars and decided against the rechargeable in both cases (I'm sure you'll love the pickups). Wasn't a space thing as much as I just know me - i'm terrible about unplugging things. While the power budget for the electronics was well-considered so you get a lotta operating time on a charge, there's still a finite life to charge time on those batteries and a time requirement for recharging. With a replaceable battery, if you forget to charge it or for whatever reason you run out of power, you have to wait to get back in business. With a battery box, if you screw up and let it die or get short on up-time, you can replace it RFN and the show goes on.

On the plus side (and also very appealing to me), I don't think I've ever heard of a rechargeable battery leaking and destroying the device it's installed in. But, standard disposables don't leak like they used to, either.

Just some food for thought.

 

[Peelman]

That's something really, really cool.  Please let me know how the build goes. Have you considered a rear rout?

Thanks, will do! I'm not sure when I'll actually get started, but hope to start pulling the trigger in the next few months. I'd start a thread in the build section documenting my progress when it happens.

Definitely doing the rear rout. Current plan is for a G4 SSB body in walnut and rear route is the only thing offered on it. The EMG 35 route looks like it will fit the Fluence pickups and get bridge routing for a Bad Ass III string thru to use a Hipshot A style Fender mount bridge. All black hardware. I'm not going to get a finish and plan to oil it myself.

For the neck, wenge shaft and ebony board. No inlays with mother of pearl side dots. Black GraphTech TUSQ nut and black Hipshot Y tuners with a Bass Xtender on the low string. Strictly for aesthetics, I'm tempted to also get tort binding on the neck. Even though it is already dark wood and wouldn't be much contrast, I think the tort accent would be kinda slick. Looks like the short scale warmoth head also has the truss rod access near the nut, so I would get a tort truss rod cover as well. If I went the tort route, I'd try to get the cavity cover also made in tort on the back of the body. However, I think I'm going for Stainless Steel frets and that makes the novelty of neck binding a little more than I'd like to spend, but ... if I'm going to spend the money to get the bass I want, I'll probably go for it. Still undecided.

I have Fishman Fluence pickups in two of my guitars and decided against the rechargeable in both cases (I'm sure you'll love the pickups). Wasn't a space thing as much as I just know me - i'm terrible about unplugging things. While the power budget for the electronics was well-considered so you get a lotta operating time on a charge, there's still a finite life to charge time on those batteries and a time requirement for recharging. With a replaceable battery, if you forget to charge it or for whatever reason you run out of power, you have to wait to get back in business. With a battery box, if you screw up and let it die or get short on up-time, you can replace it RFN and the show goes on.

On the plus side (and also very appealing to me), I don't think I've ever heard of a rechargeable battery leaking and destroying the device it's installed in. But, standard disposables don't leak like they used to, either.

Just some food for thought.

Thanks for the feedback! I don't own any guitars with Fluence pickups either, but my next guitar probably will. They seem so versatile in getting different sounds out of the same guitar.

Very interesting note on having to wait to charge the battery pack. I am totally the type of person who would be screwing around, walk away, leave the guitar plugged in to the input and not realize it until I went to play it again and found it dead. I don't go around doing gigs, more just a recreational hobby, so I wouldn't be putting anything in danger if that were to happen, but it would be an inconvenience. Although, I think you can play it while it is charging, but I'm not sure on that ... and it might not be comfortable to do so.

It would probably be more reasonable to go the battery box route and go for 9 volts. It would save on space in the control cavity to make cabling a little more manageable and easier to install. If I could avoid having the black, plastic battery box on the back, I was going to try. If I got the tort binding on the neck and had a control cavity cover made in tortoise, the black battery box wouldn't look as clean. On further thought, I'll have the black neck plate back there too, so it wouldn't be so bad. Slowly coming around to the battery box. Only a small charge for the routing of it and the box itself. Much less than what it would cost me to get the battery unit. Not sure the added cost of the rechargeable battery is offset by the benefits.